A Forgotten Love

City Streets

Moments later, Esperanza and Will were walking over the cobbled streets. Esperanza couldn't stop gawking at everything that she saw. Some things brought back hazy memories, but other things were spectacular.

Will seemed to not pay any attention to his surroundings, or Esperanza as she peered cautiously at him. "Are you going to explain to me what happened?" she asked curiously.

"It was nothing really. He sometimes getting worked up at the slightest mention of your mother. I think really because he blames himself for what happens to her. He thinks that if he had been a better person she might have stayed with him" Will said, walking beside her placidly.

"Did you know my mother?" Esperanza asked, gawking at a nearby street cart, that was filled with colorful, yet unidentifiable foods.

"No, she disappeared about 3 years before I began working for your father" he replied, taking her hand and wrapping his elbow around hers in an effort to pull her away from the street cart.

"Oh" she said, feeling disappointed.

"But, if you want to know, you could always try asking some of the older guards. They might remember somethings about your mother, though from what I hear, she was hardly ever there, preferring the quieter country sides" he said, holding her steady as she tripped over the cobbled roadways.

A cart careened by, the horses frothing at the mouth, and the driver cracking the whip over their heads, making Esperanza recoil. Will merely looked after it, shaking his head. "Sometimes I prefer the country side than this crazy city" he remarked.

"What's the country like?" she asked, watching a dog run by, yapping madly.

"Quiet. Peaceful. You hardly ever see your neighbors since the houses are spread so far out" he replied, a wistful expression on his face.

"You sound as though you know it well" she remarked, peering at his face.

"Well, I grew up there, before my uncle dragged me off to the city when I was young" he said, turning down another street.

Esperanza's stomach growled, and she flushed, trying to remember the last time she had eaten.

"Hungry?" Will asked with a smile.

"Yeah" she replied, relaxed by his easy going manner.

"Good thing I know the best places to eat around here" he said with a wink. "Follow me"

Esperanza followed him, laughing a bit as he ran down the streets, though slowly so she didn't have to sprint and trip on her dress. He only ran for a few minutes though, even though Esperanza's legs wanted to run more. "Tell me. In...Yorkshire, do we ever get to run often?" she asked.

Will laughed. "I keep forgetting that you're not used to our society. But to answer your question, women in your status never run. They only walk, dance or ride in a carriage" he replied.

"Oh, well can I pretend to be a boy then?" she asked hopefully, a childish part of her wanting to run around, and not be weighed down by her newfound father or dresses.

"Not a chance, darling. Imagine if your father found out" he said, taking her hand and leading her into a building.

Well, what if he doesn't find out? she thought to herself, as she took in the interior of there new building. A low ceiling made for a cozy feeling, though not a claustrophobic feel. Dainty chairs and tables lay scattered neatly around the floor, some occupied by people.

"Come with me" he said, nodding in greeting to a suited man as he passed by him.

Esperanza followed him, as he strode over to the window and pulled out a chair for her. "Sit down" he invited her, gesturing toward the chair.

She sat down in the chair, a bit confused, as to what he was doing, but then he whispered in her ear. "Its what gentlemen are supposed to do"

"Oh" she said, looking around, frustrated at the city's rules on behavior and such.

"Relax, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time" he said reassuringly as he took a seat across from her, grinning.

"I doubt that. I don't even know where I'm from, I don't know how my mother was, I hardly know how to act properly" she said, trailing off and looking out the window, suddenly growing saddened by her lack of memories.

"Hey" Will said softly, reaching across the table. "Everything is going to be fine"

"I hope so" she said with a sigh, looking at his serene face.

"Trust me" he said, his smile back in place. "Wait here"

Esperanza watched as Will got up and walked over to the man they had walked past to get in. They exchanged a few words and she saw Will gesture toward her once before the man went off towards the back of the building and Will came back to the table.

"What did you say to him?" she asked, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Nothing much. Just ordered some food" he replied, settling into his chair.

"You order food?" she asked in a surprised voice.

"Yup" he said.

"Why don't you just go out on the street and buy food there? Why come here?" she asked.

Will shrugged. "Here they can make different meals out of the food you can buy on the streets. If you were to buy it, you would have to make it yourself" he said.

"But that sounds fun" Esperanza protested.

Will shook his head and smiled. "Ladies of your stature don't cook. They have maids do it" he said.

Esperanza's brow furrowed. "This is harder than I expected" she said, leaning back with a sigh.

"Well, after it gets dark, we can have more fun" he said, mischief glimmering in his eyes.

"How much longer?" she asked, looking out at the sky. The sun was traveling down now, though it was still fairly early in the day.

"A few more hours. This city gets a whole lot more fun at night. I promise you're gonna love it" he said.

"Good, because in all honest, this day has been bloody awful" she said, thinking back to earlier in the day with her father and Divina.

"I know. You seem really stressed out to, though it's probably the city to" he said.

"It's getting better" she said with a small laugh and a shrug.

Esperanza spent the rest of the afternoon with Will, talking about various subjects, what things were in the streets, what different types of food there were, what people do for fun. Gradually the sun went down though, and as Will promised the city got a whole lot more fun once the sun disappeared and the stars came out.